MEGAPROJECT: SIMPLIFYING SUSTAINABLE LIVING

FOCUS AREA: WASTE

CHALLENGE: WASTE HANDLING IN PRIVATE HOUSE HOLDS (THIS CHALLENGE HAS BEEN REVISED FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER 2021) 

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION:

This challenge seeks to understand different problems, drivers and barriers that relates to the handling of different sorts of waste. In collaboration with the housing association ‘Alabu Bolig’ and Aalborg Forsyning (Utility) this challenge will investigate how waste in all different sizes and from different origins that are left unsorted or missorted can be handled in a more sustainable and responsible way. Identifying new ways to handle difficult, bulky or misplaced waste have the potential to both increase the social cohesion and improve the environment in the residential areas and reduce the living costs. 

In addition to this, the challenge seeks to understand problems, drivers and barriers related to the sorting of waste and to the reduction of waste in private households. It will also be a goal to identify and develop solutions that can reduce the problems and barriers as well as open for experimental testing of preexisting solutions and innovations.  

The overall aim of this challenge is to develop better local information and differentiated waste solutions for different types of households with the intension to improve indicators for the specific SDGs mentioned in the proposal. 

IMPACTED SDGS: #11, #12 AND #13

PROPOSED PROJECT PROBLEMS: 

1. How does different age groups experience the challenges associated with waste and how does this reflect in the need for different solutions?  

2. How can larger waste objects like furniture be recycled within the neighborhood?    

3. What kind of community can be developed locally within the neighborhood to support a better local system for recycling?   

4. How can the residents learn to handle their waste more accurately? 

5. How can the understanding of learning conditions in everyday life situations influence the challenges associated with waste?   

6. How can the understanding of the use of language in communication influence the challenges associated with waste? 

7. How can the concept of waste be challenged and rebranded? 

8. How can waste be a part of the agenda to design smarter cities? 

9. How can better waste handling be a part of the climate agenda? 

10. How can interactive designs support residents to handle their waste in more sustainable manner? 

11. How can interactive technology support communities come together finding new ways of handle waste? 

12. Where are the different kinds of waste created and in which amounts, what are their pathways, and potential intermediary/ final destination(s)? 

Challenge proposer:

Lars Bodum
Planning
lbo@plan.aau.dk
 

Co-proposers:

Søren Lindhardt
Communication and psychology
linhart@hum.aau.dk

Hanne Louise Jensen
sociology and social work
Hannelj@socsci.aau.dk

Rikke Hagensby Jensen
Computer Science
rjens@cs.aau.dk